Fast radio bursts are the subject of a young and emerging field in astrophysics, with only around 150 having been found before the release of our new catalog. A lot of work has been done to understand these events, but these cosmic radio bursts remain as mysterious as when they were first discovered in 2007. Simply put: No one knows what exactly produces them. Every newly captured event is allowing astrophysicists like me to learn more about these weird cosmic phenomena....

Data from a new study of the expansion of the Cosmos, conducted by astronomers utilizing an international collection of radio telescopes, further adds to the mystery. This study found expansion rate similar to those seen by other observatories, which (as a whole) differ significantly from predictions. Galaxies in this study were seen huddling closer together than predicted in calculations based on either the “standard model” of the Universe, or the cosmic microwave background (CMB — roughly, the ‘echo’ of the Bag Bang)....

A July 2022 decision by the European Court of Justice has expanded the European Commission’s ability to investigate a wider range of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). And last year, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also changed its criteria for scrutinizing certain deal types. Historically, these regulators have only been empowered to examine business deals of a certain size, mostly between potential direct competitors. These recent rulings will empower them to examine almost any purchase....

The Japanese game-maker is expected to put out an upgraded model of its console and a lineup of new games in 2021, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. This practically means the holiday season will be wide open for competitors like PlayStation and Xbox, both of which are slated to drop new consoles around the end of the year. The revamped model is expected to receive a hardware bump, but the specs remain unclear for now....

According to the NPD Group, a market research company, the Switch has been the top-selling video game console in U.S. for 10 months now. The sales figures are probably bolstered by the release of the Switch Lite, a handheld-only version of the game released earlier this year. Mat Piscatella, games industry analyst for NPD Group, said on Twitter “Nintendo Switch is the only platform with sales gains both in September as well as year-to-date....

The Canadian company (slowly) released its Focals, a pair of smart glasses, over the 11 months. It began selling them in its flagship stores in Brooklyn and Toronto, before launching an app in September where users from all over North America could buy them. But… this sales cycle is coming to an abrupt end. Why? Because North has announced it’s stopping the production of its Focals to concentrate on the next-generation of its smart glasses....

The despicable man addressed the students, encouraging them to talk to him as he engaged in lewd activities on camera, local broadcaster NRK reports. One of the student’s parents eventually noticed what was happening after seeing parts of the conversation. The incident made some of the children visibly upset, according to the report. [Read: PSA: Netflix isn’t giving away free subs due to coronavirus — it’s a scam] The theory is that the man guessed the meeting ID and entered the room, though the principal of the school told NRK it remains unclear if that’s what indeed happened....

The note had been securely shut through an archaic process known as “letterlocking.” The method was used to secure written communications for centuries before the widespread adoption of envelopes in the 1830s. The intricate system of folds, tucks, and slits effectively turns the paper into its own envelope. Often, the notes were then sealed and rigged with anti-tamper devices. The method was used by both everyday people and historical figures from Queen Elizabeth I of England to Marie Antoinette....

Well, that does make sense, given that NYC’s five boroughs are so overcrowded that drivers mostly park their cars at the curb. The city’s Department of Transport (DOT) believes that by enabling EV drivers to charge their cars when they – I’m sure not without effort – find a curbside parking spot, it can further encourage the adoption of electric vehicles. The project is called “PlugNYC” and aims to install 120 Level 2 charging ports at curbside locations across the five boroughs....

The so-called Project Atlas — no, not that one — was first announced last October as, “A platform designed from the core to harness the massive power of cloud computing and artificial intelligence and putting it into the hands of game makers in a powerful, easy to use, one-stop experience.” According to a Medium post by EA CTO Ken Moss, EA is running a technical test to see how crossplay will work between games on different platforms....

Still, there are benefits to perusing through Microsoft’s app store. Most of the software there tends to be better-optimized for touchscreens, which is handy if you have a 2-in-1 PC. Likewise, Microsoft has more control over the apps that land on its marketplace, which helps prevent the spread of malware. In general, these apps also use more modern code and are optimized to use fewer system resources. They tend to behave more like mobile apps in this regard, although there are some more traditional apps and system utilities in the Windows Store as well....

Sort of, anyway. Microsoft has a new tool in the Excel app that allows your smartphone to take a picture of rows and columns of raw data, then watch in astonishment as that image gets imported into editable data in an Excel spreadsheet. Yep, that’s pretty impressive. Excel continues to find new ways to make it irreplaceable among number crunchers and data hoarders, which means it’s a good time to expand or brush up on your Excel skills with The Epic Excel 2019 Mastery Bundle of training....

That’s a stat that provides all the explanation you need about the explosive boom of customer relationship management (CRM) and, more specifically, the rise of Salesforce as a titanic player in how businesses relate to their customers. Salesforce Lightning is how businesses set up and build those highly customizable tools for interacting with customers. Now, you can be a whiz at creating in their environment with The Complete Salesforce Lightning Certification Training Bundle....

QR codes are being used as a key tool for reducing touchpoints and contact tracing throughout the pandemic, enabling convenient and contactless data sharing. They are not inherently unsafe, but they could be open to exploitation by cyber attackers. Quick response (QR) codes can be thought of in a similar way to URL shortening services – they provide instant access to information such as websites and contact information. They can also allow users to login into a Wi-Fi network without a password....

The European and Chinese space agencies, along with NASA, plan to build bases on the Moon in the coming decades. These outposts, many of which will be found near the south pole of the Moon, will serve as stepping off points for future human exploration of Mars and the inner solar system. Challenges facing spacefarers include radiation, bombardments by meteorites (large and small), and extreme swings in temperature. Providing protection from these risks would almost certainly require massive infrastructure....

Li Yang Ku, a researcher at robotics firm Vicarious AI, trained the neural network to rap by feeding it classic lines by MCs including Jay-Z, Kanye West, Eminem, and Snoop Dogg. He then entered some of his own rhymes as an input and asked it to complete the rap. Li described the results as “entertaining but with limited success,” It did show a reasonable grasp of slang, responding to the input “No rap is free, this thing cost me a fee” with “I got a whole lotta guap on me,” as well as respectable swearing skills, answering the line “If you don’t like your output rap” with “Where the fuck am I going back....

Apps like Grindr and Romeo are meant to expose some location data. The hookup apps operate by allowing men to find potential partners within a certain radius of their location. But the location data is meant to be an approximation, a radius in which the other user is located — much like listings on Airbnb. Instead, researchers have found that by using a process called trilateration, they can find users with pinpoint accuracy....

Examples of “social innovation” include public libraries, open universities, and worker’s rights movements. But there’s more to it than just bringing people together to solve problems or attempting to create an atmosphere of equality. A social service that’s successful in affluent urban areas could be completely useless in a rural setting, and vice versa. Taking into account the human factor, how climate crisis and other environmental factors affect different communities, and the difficulties faced by minorities and refugees, the challenge of serving the EU’s agenda across national lines becomes exponentially more difficult....

They weren’t fully wireless, requiring a cable between the buds. They were a pain to put in and out of their case. There was no way to skip tracks without talking to the Assistant. Pairing didn’t work half the time. And perhaps worst of all, they were uncomfortable for many ears, and for some they simply physically too large. Google’s 2020 Pixel Buds, available today for $179, fixes all of these problems....

Essentially, the government is looking for a contractor to build an Ethereum-based system to host the issuance of property ownership documents, the allocation of slots at farmer markets, and wait for it: a voting platform which enables Moscow residents to have their say on matters such as locations for new bike paths, street decoration, and city events, CoinDesk reports. The estimated cost of development of such a system will approximately be $860,000 and will take around 60 days to build once a contractor has been chosen....